Raindrops
by No Guns Only Roses
Summary: Leo searches for his lost brother on a rainy day. Serves as a sequel to the story "Stars And Tears".


**This serves as the sequel to "Stars and Tears". A few of my readers really like the brother series so here's another one! Hope you enjoy!**

 **NOTE: There will probably be grammar mistakes which I will fix later.**

 _"Guys! Mikey's gone!"_

 _"What?"_

 _"He's not in his room or anywhere else in the lair!"_

 _"Are you sure, Donnie?"_

 _"I'm_ positive _, Leo! Mikey's disappeared!"_

 _"Relax, Donnie. Mikey's a big boy. You know how he hates being cooped up in the lair. He's probably out skateboarding with Mondo or something."_

 _"Really, Raph? In the middle of the night? While it's_ raining _?"_

 _"You never know with that kid."_

 _"Wait, guys. I think I know where he is. I'll go get him."_

The rain pounded against the windshield of the Shell Raiser as he sped down the dirt road. The moment he heard that Mikey had disappeared, he wasted no time in searching for him. But he had an idea of where his little brother was.

After all, it was the anniversary of their father's...

His grip on the steering wheel tightened and he put more pressure on the gas pedal. The familiar ache in his heart had returned and the tears were building up again. He absolutely _hated_ going back to that place, but his little brother needed him. The thought of Mikey standing in the rain and shivering from the cold urged him to pick up the pace.

By the time he had arrived at his destination, Mikey was sitting under the tree with a yellow raincoat on. The Shell Raiser came to a screeching halt and Leo jumped out. He started to run toward Mikey.

"Mike-!"

The mud was very slick and he tripped, falling face first onto the ground. He lifted himself back on his knees and spat out dirt. He looked down and saw that his plastron was completely covered in mud.

 _Great_ , he thought to himself while letting out an exasperated sigh. He looked over back at Mikey who had apparently never even noticed his presence as he was still sitting there with his shell turned to him. He brushed the mud off his knees before walking over to him.

Even at the sound of Leo's footsteps getting closer and closer, Mikey still didn't turn his head. He seemed lost in his thoughts as he stared at the tombstone before him.

The tombstone of Hamato Yoshi.

Very slowly, Leo reached over to gently touch Mikey's shoulder, and the moment his hand touched him, Mikey jumped nearly ten feet off the ground and let out a startled gasp. He whipped his head around and looked at Leo surprised.

Leo's instantly broke at the sight of Mikey's red puffy eyes. His little brother had been crying out here all alone for God knows how long, and where was _he_? Watching _Space Heroes_ on the couch and munching on popcorn.

They each had their own way of passing the time and trying to forget that it was the anniversary of Splinter's death. Raph tried to get through the day by exercising more vigorously in the dojo. Donnie spent nearly 14 hours in the lab making a new invention that they didn't really need. And Leo watched an entire marathon of _Space Heroes_ in the living room. Mikey was the only one who dwelled on the passing of his Papa.

None of them were aware of Mikey's anguish since they were all too busy doing their own thing. They hadn't even detected him walking out of the lair, and the guilt of that punched Leo in the gut harder than any blow that he had received from his enemies in the past.

He knelt down to wrap his arms around his brother and rested his chin on his shoulder. "Mikey," he softly said, "we need to head back home, okay? Master Splnter wouldn't want you to be out here all by yourself in the rain."

For a moment, Mikey said nothing. Then a heart-wrenching whimper escaped his throat and he hugged him back. "Okay," he croaked. He got back on his feet with Leo's help and walked toward the van with slow, heavy steps.

Before he joined Mikey, Leo walked over to the tombstone and knelt down in front of it. He kissed his fingertips and pressed them against the cold, hard stone.

"Father, I'm so sorry," he prayed to his master. "I promise that I won't let this happen again. I'll look after Mikey like I promised. I love you." He rubbed the stone with his palm before heading back to the Shell Raiser.

Mikey was sitting in the passaenger's seat and staring blankly out the window. Leo gave him a gentle squeeze on the shoulder before starting the vehicle and driving away from the farmhouse.

For ten solid minutes, it was completely silent, save for the sound of the rain hitting the windows. Leo decided to turn on the radio at a low volume for some background noise. The song that was playing happened to be "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head".

 ** _So I just did me some talkin' to the sun_**

 ** _And I said I didn't like the way he got things done_**

 ** _He's sleepin' on the job_**

 ** _Those raindrops are fallin' on my head, they keep fallin'_**

 ** _But there's one thing I know_**

 ** _The blues they send to meet me won't defeat me_**

 ** _It won't be long till happiness steps up to greet me_**

Leo briefly glanced over at Mikey, who continued to slump and look out the window. He redirected his focus to the road before him as the song continued to play.

 _ **Raindrops keep fallin' on my head**_

 _ **But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turnin' red**_

 _ **Crying's not for me**_

 ** _'Cause I'm never gonna stop the rain by complainin'_**

 ** _Because I'm free_**

 ** _Nothin's worryin' me_**

As the trumpet played on the radio, Leo thought that he heard a weak giggle, and as it got louder and louder he turned to see Mikey looking directly at him with his hand over mouth. He was giggling like a madman.

"Wha-What?" Leo asked him. "What's so funny?"

Mikey merely pointed at him and continued to laugh. Confused, Leo lowered the rearview mirror and looked at his reflection. His face was completely covered in mud, and it looked he was wearing another mask. Grinning in amusement, Leo wiped some mud off his plastron and reached over to rub it all over Mikey's face.

"Ah!" Mikey laughed as he tried to fight Leo off. "No! Stop! Leo! Ack!"

Leo laughed along with him. "You know what they say about mud masks, Little Brother. They're good for your complexion."

"Okay! Okay! I give! You win!"

Leo finally stopped and smiled warmly at his now muddy brother, who continued to giggle. "It's so good to hear you laugh again, Mikey." He looked back at the road. "I guess we _both_ needed a good laugh."

Mikey's laughter died down and he somberly looked at the road, too. "I really miss him, Leo," he quietly told him.

Leo let out a sad sigh. "I know, Mikey. I miss him, too. And it's okay to miss him, but you shouldn't keep these feelings bottled up. It's not good for you. And I know that we been caught up in our own grief, too. We should've known about your suffering. _I_ should've known, and I'm so sorry for not being the big brother and Sensei that I'm supposed to be."

Mikey gently patted his shoulder. "You're a _great_ brother, Leo. You really are."

Leo smiled at him gratefully. "Thanks."

Mikey casually leaned back with his hands behind his head and rested his feet on the dashboard. "You know what I think we should all do when we get back to the lair?"

Leo smiled to himself. Whatever Mikey had in mind was bound to lift everyone's spirits. "What?"

Mikey smiled mischievously. "Twister."

Leo chuckled despite himself. "You know Raph hates that game."

"I know," Mikey nodded. "That's what makes it even more fun."

Leo nodded in agreement. He couldn't help but wonder if Splinter had a hand in all of this. All day they had been secluding themselves from each other instead of sharing their pain. Mikey's overwhelming grief and loneliness drove him to run off to the farmhouse to be with his father, and it was through that that he and Leo realized that they shouldn't be dwelling on the past. What was even important was the time that they had together now.

In a way, Splinter brought the two back together and in the process, brought the whole family back together. Even after death, he looked after his children and cared for them.

As they drove into the city, the rain died down and the clouds parted, the sun peeking through and smiling down at them.

 _ **Raindrops keep fallin' on my head**_

 _ **But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turnin' red**_

 _ **Crying's not for me**_

 ** _'Cause I'm never gonna stop the rain by complainin'_**

 ** _Because I'm free_**

 ** _Nothin's worryin' me_**

 **Super excited about tomorrow's special! Also, in case you don't know that I've updated the story, please read the latest "Akari" chapter and leave a review (if you want to, no pressure).**

 **I was inspired by a deleted scene from the movie _The Iron Giant_ to do this.**

 **Have a blessed day! :)**

 **P.S. I do not own B.J Thomas's "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head"**


End file.
